Category Archives: parenting

The Mystery of the Plastic Rings (The Green World) by Sonia Mehta is the fifth book of The Green World Series published by Puffin. This series of story-cum-activity books for children aims to teach environmental awareness early on. This book has 64 pages and is targeted at children of six years and over. I am thankful to the publisher for providing me a review copy of the book.

MEET THE ECONUTS

Dewy, Woosh, Petals, Pebbles and Waggy call themselves the Econuts because they are simply nuts about ecology and the environment!

Learn all about the many ways in which you can help save Planet Earth in this series of story-and-activity books, aimed at generating ecological awareness through a mix of fiction, puzzles, games, activities and more.

The blurb:

Pebbles finds some plastic rings buried in his garden. He has no idea what they are or where they’ve come from. When Pebbles and the Econuts get together to figure it out, they stumble on something very scary. What do they discover and what do they do about it? Read on to find out.

My take:

The five friends are digging the garden in the backyard of Pebble’s house when they come across a packet with plastic rings in it and a name on it. And they start looking for the person to whom the packet belongs.

The author used beautiful illustrations and different mind games like matching picures and their shadows, colouring, solving mystery, countinfg circles in a picture, finding the odd word, spot the difference, separating garbage, rhyming words, find out hidden words, a maze, a grid and also some space for the child to record the activities done by them called ‘my environment diary’. There are activities like making a newspaper shopping bag, tin can wind chimes, too. She has used the book to make the reader aware of the facts regarding plastics, how we can reuse and recycle things, and also how we can save our trees. The best part of the book is the earth champion stickers.

I loved the book and recommend it to all children and their parents.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book from the publisher in return for my honest review. I have NOT received any monetary compensation for the same.

I received Ultimate Guide to Modern Parenting by Pradeep Kapoor and Neelkamal Kapoor as a review copy from the publisher and I would like to thank them for sending me a copy of the book.

The blurb:

How to make the child eat right, get him to do the homework, make him go to bed, wean him off the mobile, teach him discipline, stop him from lying, and much more—the challenges for parents are never-ending. Several tricky situations arise on a daily basis in every household, which, if mishandled, can create a major crisis between parents and children. The seeds of distrust and anguish sown in early childhood may lead to major maladjustment problems in adolescence and adulthood.

Ultimate Guide to Modern Parenting brings to you a handy guide to parenting twenty-first century children and making sure that you nip all their troubles in the bud.

My take:

This is one book that every parent should read, irrespective of how old their children are. It really changed my perspective of parenting, and made me look at parenting in a new light. I have actually started changing my approach to how I reacted to what my children did.

The book has been divided into parts and talks about different types of parents and actually there is a checklist at the end of some chapters. It talks about the importance of social environment in the development of a child in addition to the genes. It also talks that every child is an individual and about how we can deal with our children in different situations. There are case studies which help in better understanding of various situations.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book from the publisher in return for my honest review. I have NOT received any monetary compensation for the same.

I received 54 Reasons Why Parents Suck and Phew by Swati and Swaran Lodha as a review copy from the publisher Rupa Publications. Thank you for the book.

The Blurb:

The book is a tongue in cheek take on things parents should and should not do. It talks about various beliefs, behaviour, and biases held by most parents that make them annoying and difficult. So, all you parents out there—be a good sport, pick up this book, and see for yourself the heart of a teenager. 54 Reasons Why Parents Suck and Phew! will leave you with one big reason to understand your child, all over again.

My take:

A beautifully written book. I can actually call it as a letter from an offspring to the parents.

It actually made me realise a lot of things that I hated when my parents did when we were kids and I do it myself.

The language is simple and the book has a way of making the parent in me feel guilty. But I loved it anyway and it took me around 35 days to finish the book as I was reading it in bits and pieces like short stories.

And now I plan to preach less to my kids, if that is possible……

And my daughter is reading it now and sharing her thoughts with her brother so…..

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book from the publisher in return for my honest review. I have NOT received any monetary compensation for the same.

I received the book It’s a Mom Thing: Kickass Parenting by Sathya Ramaganapathy as a review copy from the publisher, Rupa Publications, and am thankful to them for the book.

This book is a beautiful first person account of a mother and her motherhood set in Bangalore. At the outset, the author has mentioned that this book is a tribute, dedicated to all those harassed moms and dads out there fighting the daily battles of parenthood.

The blurb:

It’s a war out there, and the kids are winning. They can download apps on your smartphone with deceptive ease, tell you who the Greek goddess of wisdom is and how to do a back-heel nutmeg (don’t ask). How is one ever to catch up, let alone get the upper hand?

It’s a Mom Thing: Adventures in Parenting presents anecdotes from a mother and offers a light-hearted look at her parenting journey. The main protagonists are the mother, her two cheeky daughters, aged nine and eleven, and her long-suffering husband. Parenting is a veritable minefield in this household. Backchat, bad jokes and mischievous gleams in the eyes, pre-teen hormones and emotional meltdowns (of the parental variety) pop up frequently. Every day is fraught with danger. Revealing the affectionate, yet tumultuous relationship between the mother and her daughters who are growing up fast, the book falls in the parenting humour genre.

My take:

The author has beautifully narrated her experiences with her two daughters aged 9 and 11. There were many instances in the book where I felt that: “Is she talking about me?” or “Are these my kids that she is talking about?”

The book has been divided into four parts: Summer Vacations; First Term; Second Term; Third Term and followed by an email from the school Principal mentioning something about the term. There are twenty three chapters and at the beginning of each chapter, the author has quoted an extract from the conversation in the chapter itself. The names of the chapters give an idea of what the chapter talks about.

She has talked about how her family devours books, how she managed to be a work from home mom, cute anecdotes from the conversations between her kids, their squabbles and also those between the parents and the kids. She compared her childhood to theirs, like we all do. I will not go into further details as I want you to read the book and savour it.

The descriptions are detailed and vivid. The piggy bank from her childhood and her train journeys reminded me of mine. She has an amazing sense of humour which is very visible as to how she manages even stressful situations with kids.

I will not call it a parenting book as she has not advised how to go about the stuff but I would say that this book that must be read by all parents, to see that everything that we go through with our kids, is what all parents go through, have gone through and will go through and to enjoy parenthood till we can because once the kids grow up, we will crave for their company. Believe me, I know of parents who do.

I have even marked the pages which I would give to my kids to read.

A must read book for parents and kids and even grandparents for that matter.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book from the publisher in return for my honest review. I have NOT received any monetary compensation for the same.

I received the book as a review copy from the publisher and I would like to thank them for the same.

The Blurb:

When Anjali and I were really little, we were sort of afraid of our grandmother, Ammuchi . . .’

Aditya and Anjali love listening to their grandmother’s stories, particularly the scary one about the ghost in the tree. But the night their grandmother passes away, all her stories seem to lose their meaning.

Then something happens that is more mysterious and magical than any story. Could their grandmother still be with them after all? Stunningly illustrated and told in gorgeous poetic prose, this is a poignant and moving story about bereavement and healing.

My take:

Losing someone close is something we cannot forget. All we can do is get involved in our work and try to come to terms with it. And children are the most affected when someone they are close to dies. I have seen my son suffer when he lost his grandfather.

The author has used the context of the book as well the beautiful illustrations to address grief. In this story, written in first person from Aditya’s point of view, the author has tried to make children understand and come to terms with the loss of a beloved family member.

A very well written book in simple English with excellent illustrations is one book that every child should read and also every adult.

About the Author

Sharanya Manivannan is an award-winning writer based in India. Her fiction, poetry and essays have been widely published internationally, and she was specially commissioned to write and perform a poem at the 2015 Commonwealth Day Observance in London in front of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

The Ammuchi Puchi is Sharanya’s first picture book. Her recent books for adults include The High Priestess Never Marries, which won a Laadli Media & Advertising Award For Gender Sensitivity in the category of Best Book, and The Altar of the Only World. You can find out more about Sharanya on her website: www.sharanyamanivannan.in

About the Illustrator

Nerina Canzi is an award-winning Argentinian illustrator with a degree from National School of Fine Arts in Buenos Aires. Nerina has illustrated for publishing houses around the world and lived and worked in Italy, Spain and Argentina. In 2015, she won the prestigious Premio Nacional y Latinoamericano de Literatura Infantil y Juvenil award (The National and Latin American Prize for Children’s and Young People’s Literature) and was selected for the VI Salón de Ilustración IMAGENPALABRA (The Sixth Illustration Exhibition by IMAGENPALABRA) in Colombia. You can find out more about Nerina on her website: www.nerinacanzi.com.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book from the publisher in return for my honest review. I have NOT received any monetary compensation for the same.

I received the book Parenteen by Prakriti Prasad as a review copy from the publisher Rupa Publications and am thankful to them or the book.

The blurb:

Children act as our biggest stress busters, bringing happiness and meaning into our lives. Overcome with love and commitment to raise the best kind we invariably stretch our time, attention and wealth. Just when we begin to revel in the camaraderie we share with our growing child, teenage strikes. And lo behold! Our lovable bundles of joy suddenly turn into our biggest stress creators. All the laughter and banter in the house tend to get replaced by unwarranted outbursts, tears and verbal duels, which constantly test our limits.

Teenage can be stressful both for children, who experience all kinds of physical and emotional changes, as well as for parents who find themselves emotionally drained dealing with constant authority challenges, indifference and slammed doors.

This exclusive handbook on parenting of teens focuses on decoding the insecurities, dilemmas and interests of our youngsters in order to understand them better. It emphasizes on keeping all channels of communication open and addresses an entire gamut of teenage issues pertaining to peer pressure, gadget addiction, underage drinking, stress, anger, complacency and privacy—to name a few.

Armed with a better understanding of teenagers instead of archaic perceptions of parenting, we can hope to not just steer our children towards excellence, but even make friends for life with our teens.

My take:

As a mother of a fourteen and a twelve year old, I found this book to be a big help. I realized that there are no rights or wrongs and that the children hate when we tell them, ‘in our days…’ or ‘when I was your age….’. The author has written the book in a simple and easily understandable language.

I shall not write much in details because I feel that this is one book that one must read and try to follow whenever required. I read the book around a fortnight ago and am trying to follow certain things, and am writing the review only now, after I realized the small changes I made in the way I am handling my kids, has certainly made me less stressful and them more responsible.

The author has written the book based on her experiences, and what I loved was her referring to her teenager as Smallie.

About the Author

Prakriti Prasad is a senior journalist and columnist on parenting issues. She has worked with several leading publications including The Times of India, The Business Standard, The Indian Express and The Himalayan Times for over two decades. She has written and edited coffee-table books for Dainik Jagran and The Times of India. Besides being a freelance writer, she espouses social causes by anchoring events on issues close to her heart. As a relationship and meditation mentor and a parenting expert, she conducts wellness workshops and individual sessions with youngsters and adults. A music aficionado with a ‘prabhakar’ (graduation) in Hindustani classical music, Kathak dance and playing the Sitar, she believes in connecting with people through her art. A die hard optimist, she considers an ever-increasing circle of friends her biggest achievement in life.

Prakriti is based in Kolkata, India.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book from the publisher in return for my honest review. I have NOT received any monetary compensation for the same.

I received the book ‘No Touch’ by K. Krishna as a review copy from the publisher and I would like to thank them for the same. This is the first book in the WATCH OUT Series. It is a picture book that helps parents open a conversation with their kids about good-touch bad-touch.

As a parent and a doctor, I felt incompetent to talk to my daughter about good touch and bad touch because I did not know how to broach the topic. I would browse the net and still feel uncomfortable.

This book has given me an idea as to how to talk to my children about it.